I had the 45 of "Cars" in 1980, when I was 13. I didn't commmit to a full Gary Numan album until 1983 or so, when I worked in a huge drug store with a cut-out bin. Telekon, Numan's 1980 follow-up to The Pleasure Principle (1979), wasn't a huge hit at the time, I guess, but over the decades the repution of this record has only (rightly) grown. A superb new reissue from Beggars is likely to only expand that acclaim.
From opener "This Wreckage" (with its highly sample-able drums) and to the brighter "Remind Me to Smile", Gary Numan expands his attack. Less robotic in delivery than the previous album, Gary's warm vocals are still clipped but swaddled in washes of keyboards. "Remind Me To Smile" has a gorgeous hook, as does "I'm an Agent", a real gem. "Please Push No More" and "Remember I was Vapour" are gloomy, goth-y distillations of the New Wave form. "The Joy Circuit" rides real strings to a peak on this record, with this one and "Sleep by Windows" still standing as exemplary examples of just how much humanity could be conveyed from an artist so indebted to electronics and synths.
Telekon has never sounded better. As the statute of this record has grown, and Gary Numan's output reassessed more favorably over time, it's still sort of stunning to hear just how many of these 1980 album tracks are familiar; the whole record feels like a singles collection, similar to The Pleasure Principle. Gary Numan was really operating at a career high here, and this stunningly remastered edition only confirms that. The folks at Beggars have done an extraordinary job with the multiple editions of this, and each one has bonus tracks or extras that might make a fan want to buy each. Highly recommended.
Telekon (45th Anniversary Edition) by Gary Numan is out today via Beggars.
[Photo: Beggars Group]